The authors state that just five years ago, cleaning industry trade shows, such as ISSA/INTERCLEAN and Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI), featured a scant dozen companies exhibiting green products and services; however, virtually every exhibit at last year''s ISSA show had some type of green product, service or message.

They note that fundamentally, green cleaning is closely tied with the concepts of sustainability and the triple bottom line, although its focus has typically been on environmental and economic results.

The authors add that as the cleaning industry continues to evolve in its adoption of more sustainable practices, manufacturers, distributors and service providers will be expected to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability not only through their products and services, but also through their internal and external operations.

According to the authors, the cleaning industry has the chance to reshape and repackage itself, to move from a commodity business to being a value-added partner in facility maintenance.

Stan Mierzejewski is senior manager of sustainability with Tennant Company, a world leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing solutions that help create a cleaner, safer world. Contact Stan at stan.mierzejewski@tennantco.com.